Falling in
by Pupmon1
Summary: Setsuna is always falling in things. Nets, pits, love...whatever that is. But what did she fall in first? [The Tryhard and the Daydreamer]


Hinoka stealthily slipped out of the castle, naginata in hand. Father was out with the Saizo's...some mission or something, Hinoka wasn't really paying attention. She remembered mention of Nohr though...and he took Chisai-ryu along. Hinoka took this opportunity of a quieter castle to slip out to the garden and go hunting with Setsuna.

She met up with her friend by the garden gate. "Hey Setsuna!" she shouted, waving with a smile. "You remembered to come! Awesome!"

Setsuna flinched but smiled at her friend. "Yeah, I remembered. We're going hunting, right?"

Hinoka nodded and smiled, lifting her naginata into the air. "Yep! We're gonna bring back the biggest deer we can find!" Hinoka was excited, this was her first time trying to hunt without her brother or father...and with her best friend.

She took Setsuna's hand and tugged her through the gate, towards the forest. "Come on, come on! First we need to check the traps, then see if we can find a big buck."

"Okay okay...calm down…" Setsuna muttered, tugging herself free of Hinoka's hand, but still trotting behind her. "Won't we scare the animals if we're loud?"

Hinoka stopped and chuckled. "Yeah...you're right…"

Hinoka gently led Setsuna into the woods and they set about checking the traps together. The forest was...more scary at night, certainly. Hinoka wasn't going to let her fear show, though...and Setsuna didn't seem to mind it. Still, Hinoka kept looking behind herself, making sure Setsuna was still there. She felt safer with her nearby, something about her calm obliviousness was relaxing.

But after a little while, she looked back, and Setsuna...wasn't there.

"...S-Setsuna?" Hinoka called out. Suddenly the forest seemed much scarier... "SETSUNA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Hinoka gripped onto her naginata as she turned and looked around, trying, and failing, to keep her breathing calm.

"...help..." Setsuna called out from somewhere. She sounded distant and scared.

"Setsuna! Where are you?" Hinoka called out. She couldn't let the shake in her voice project...she had to be strong, for her friend.

"Over here..." Hinoka heard sounds of struggling and then a defeated sigh. "Everything is upside down..."

Upside down? Wait...no. Hinoka looked up and sighed. "How'd you get stuck up there?"

"I dunno...I was following you, then I got yanked up, and now I'm here...help?"

Setsuna was lightly swinging in a snare trap, several feet in the air. Hinoka looked around and frowned...there was no way she could climb up there...and she couldn't see where the rope led. She didn't want to leave Setsuna alone.

"Do you have a knife on you?" Hinoka called out.

"Uhhh..." Setsuna checked her pockets. "...no...Papa doesn't let me play with knives...do you have one?"

Hinoka sighed and shook her head. "And all your arrows are down here on the ground...um…."

Hinoka knelt down and unstrapped the hidden knife sheath around her leg. She tied the straps around the sheath and looked up at Setsuna. "I can't get to you from where I am, I'm going to throw this up to you. You'll have to cut yourself down, okay?"

"Ok." Setsuna nodded.

Hinoka embedded her naginata in the ground then looked up at Setsuna. She flung the knife upward, hoping Setsuna had enough sense to be able to catch it.

Setsuna fumbled, but managed to snatch the sheathed knife out of the air. She swung and managed to grab the rope...then stopped. "Wait...I'll fall if I cut the rope."

"It's okay. I'll catch you. I won't let you get hurt!" Hinoka called out with a gentle smile.

"Okay...I...I trust you…" Setsuna pulled the knife from the sheathe with her teeth and started to cut the rope. The rope snapped and Setsuna was falling through the air. She closed her eyes, expecting to hit the ground with a solid snap. She hit something soft...then something solid.

Setsuna opened her eyes and found herself laying on the ground...on top of Hinoka. Hinoka flashed a weak smile. "See? I told you I'd catch you."

"We still hit the ground," Setsuna pointed out in a deadpan.

"No, I hit the ground. You hit me. Cause I caught you...just like I said I would..."

Setsuna's expression was blank for a moment before it grew into a gentle smile. She settled down and rested her head on Hinoka's shoulder. "You did…"

Hinoka blinked in confusion. "Are you hurt?"

"No." Setsuna sighed contently and Hinoka moved carefully. She very carefully sat up, pulling Setsuna up with her.

She could feel that Setsuna's heart was racing. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Setsuna nodded. "Yeah. It was scary at first but...it was kinda exciting." Setsuna's normal bored tone was hinted with a pleased chuckle.

Hinoka's eyes widened and she stared at her friend. She was never excited...by anything. It was kind of nice, seeing her like this. She laughed and shook her head. "You must've hit your head. You? Excited? Haha, that's new."

"I wanna fall in another."

"No."

Hinoka stared at her friend and simply shook her head. "Come on...let's go back to the castle and make sure you're not hurt."

Setsuna nodded and stood, pausing to allow Hinoka to untie the rope around Setsuna's ankle. Then they headed back to the castle. They, of course, got in trouble for sneaking out, and separated by Lady Mikoto.

After Setsuna was looked over by the healers, she was allowed to go to Hinoka's room. It was strange, she wasn't usually allowed back there during the night. She entered the hallway...and heard crying.

"...Hino?" She called out. She didn't really know how to handle crying...didn't really do it herself. It meant sad...right?

"I-in here...Setsuna…" Hinoka called out from her room.

Setsuna carefully entered the room and found Hinoka curled up in the corner, crying. Setsuna squirmed and carefully approached, sitting beside her friend. Almost instantly Hinoka hugged her and held her close.

"Hino? Wh-what happened?"

"N-Nohr...it was a trap...F-Father...is...is dead...they...they took Chisai-ryu...there...were only a-a few...survivors," Hinoka managed.

Setsuna didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to help...but she knew she couldn't leave Hinoka like this. So she just put her arms around her crying friend close. She rocked gently and gently started humming a tune her mother used to sing for bedtime. Eventually Hinoka cried herself to sleep, Setsuna allowing herself to drift off beside her, vowing in a tired haze to never leave her alone.


End file.
